Brooding City by Tom Shutt

Brooding City is an intriguing and exciting paranormal thriller and the first book in the Brooding City Series created by Tom Shutt.

Detective Arthur Brennan works at Odols Police Department. Unbeknownst to his partner and to everybody else, however, he is a former Sleeper. Sleepers are individuals who can enter the dream of others and drive them to madness. They are people with extraordinary gifts and live among ordinary people.

Meanwhile, young Jeremy Scott discovers something special, albeit scary, about himself. He can access other people’s memories. With his newly-found gift, he finds out something that shakes his being to the core.

This is an interesting, intriguing, and an easy-read book. It explores the dream realm and subtly integrates it to the waking world. The story has two main plotlines, one features Detective Brennan who is presented with a murder case involving drugs, and the other features Jeremy Scott with his newly-discovered gift. The author creates intriguing characters including Detective Brennan himself, Uncle Rick, and Old Benjamin.

However, though the plot is, understandably, vague with this book being the first installment, I still find it difficult to stay interested. It is just not easy to stay focused when the scene shifts every other chapter and the details are given in painstakingly gradual manner. Moreover, it is hard to connect with the characters. Despite the backstories, I still feel that something is being held back which makes connecting with the characters not easy. Finally, the ending is inconclusive which could mean the reader has to read the next book to enjoy it fully.

Still, this is a very intriguing book and some readers may find it enjoyable. Congratulations to Tom Shutt (@TomShutt) on such an interesting book. For more books by the author, click HERE.